Now that the Round 1 panel has done the hard work of narrowing down the Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction nominations to just seven finalists, and the Round 2 judges are doing the possibly even harder work of picking just one winner from that selection, I’m going back to look at the books that I loved that didn’t make it as finalists. I think I had close to 20 books on my personal working shortlist at one point, so I might just have a problem with loving books in general. Here are 15 of my favorites that didn’t make it to the end.

The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by Mary Averling – This eerie story with a confused but courageous protagonist charms as much as it haunts, with a sweet and understated sapphic romance.

The Flicker by H.E. Edgmon – This is a tense but hopeful dystopian story of self-discovery, found family, and survival.

Finn and Ezra’s Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Joshua S. Levy – Two boys from very different families, both celebrating their bar mitzvahs in the same hotel on the same weekend, find themselves repeating the same weekend over and over again in this zany and heartfelt adventure.

First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly – This book contains potentially history-altering time travel – but also the individually life-changing musing of a boy terrified about the upcoming potential apocalypse of Y2K. Just beautiful.

A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan – In an Venetian-inspired fantasy world where everything runs on games won or lost, Pia Paro needs to win big-time to earn enough to save her grandfather from exile. In addition to an appealingly high-stakes game with a team of strong characters, Pia asks the reader to look at injustices built into systems that we’ve always taken for granted.

It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell – Nobody believes Jenna when her best friend is kidnapped from their tent by a Cryptid on a Scout campout – but Jenna is willing to face her fear and do whatever it takes to find Reese again. This is a shivery-scary book with a pleasing view of the perils and promises of Scouting specifically for self-confidence and building relationships.

It Happened to Anna by Tehlor Kay Mejia – This is probably scarier than most of the middle grade books I read. Sadie has never dared to make friends since the ghost haunting her got her best friend killed. Now in a new school, she’s afraid to open up to people in case the same thing happens. It seems like she might have a chance with a new girl – but things in ghost stories are rarely as happy as they seem. I loved the combination of horror with the real look at identifying and recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship.

The Last Rhee Witch by Jenna Lee-Yun – This just-right scary book muses on friendship, family, heritage, with an unexpected twist and a prickly main character.

The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines by Mo Netz – Jerry’s used to being left alone during the day while her mom works at motels. After all, they always live in the same motel, too. But at their new place, Jerry’s mom keeps staying out all night, leaving Jerry alone with mysterious radio broadcasts that don’t play during the day. When her mom doesn’t come back one morning, Jerry sets out with fellow child motel resident Chapel Bell to find her – even though rolling through the woods on a wheelchair is incredibly difficult. I loved the wheelchair rep from an author who uses one herself, as well as the adventure as a whole, and that it covers adventure and some deeper themes in under 200 pages.

Nox Winters and the Midnight Wolf by Rochelle Hassan – This mystical, mind-bending adventure looks at sibling bonds, friendships, and the blurring boundaries between magic and non-magical, good and evil.

Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu – Violet’s mysterious, undiagnosible illness braids together and parallels the mysterious and malevolent presence in the attic bedroom of her new house.

Olivetti by Allie Millington – A magical typewriter helps an introverted and insecure boy find out what happened to his missing mother in this quirky and moving story.

Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese – Nonbinary Peri and their father go to visit Peri’s grandmother for the first time, in the changeable puzzle house both grandparents built together. After tragedy, the house was never used – and it wants that to change. I really enjoyed the puzzles in the house and Peri’s resourcefulness, as well as having a story with an nb mc where that isn’t a point of conflict.

The Sky over Rebecca by Matthew Fox – A modern-day Swedish girl meets and befriends a Jewish girl from WWII. To quote my own review, “This is a lyrical and moving story of friendship, courage, love, loss, and hope, both beautiful and anchored in reality.”

Westfallen by Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares – Three children from our time find an old radio and are able to contact three children living in the same place during World War II. It takes them longer to figure out that they can change things in the past – but once they do, it isn’t long before they change the entire outcome of the war. I really enjoyed the different dynamics between the children in their different times, and the look at how the two diverse groups were treated in their different times and between realities. Also just a good solid adventure story.